Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

In his opening statement, Mr. Dukes spoke of how high-profile borrowers are dealt with, and he referred to me. I intend to raise the issue of the evidence that emerged in the High Court case in London involving Mr. Paddy McKillen and the Barclay brothers about text messages sent by Mr. Aynsley to Mr. McKillen conveying a board decision. Perhaps this was put into the public domain to embarrass Mr. Aynsley. However, it does raise certain questions as to whether it is common practice for the IBRC to liaise with its largest debtors. Was this an isolated case or is it common practice, as opposed to issuing an electronic memorandum? I am asking this question because we want to be reassured that what is left of the former Anglo Irish Bank and INBS has moved away entirely from the culture that prevailed in the past in which there were close relationships between those running the banks and their largest borrowers. Mr. Aynsley is involved in making commercial decisions involving hundreds of millions of euro. One can go through all of the governance process to which Mr. Dukes referred, but ultimately it does come down to judgment calls. It is not my job to say whether these are correct. It is my job, however, to seek assurance that it is been done in the right way, with nothing else influencing decisions.